A Little Bit Wild [Mass Market Paperback]

I'm so pleased that I ended up loving this book so much. The first two chapters showed a very unattractive side of the heroine, Marissa, and I actually stopped reading to go clean something! I was so nervous that this book would be the one that broke my lucky streak with this author. I have enjoyed every book that I have read by this author, and I believe I've read them all barring the novellas, and I live in fear of breaking that pattern. But I got some reassurance that the book didn't disappoint, so I picked it back up and quickly found myself sucked in.

Marissa begins the story at a disadvantage with the reader. She comes off as extremely spoiled, thoughtless, and selfish. I also originally thought she was rather stupid, but I can excuse that because of the liquor involved in the scene. But she comes off as whiny and immature. She wants her way and doesn't understand why everything has to change. Well, she does understand, but she would rather just ignore it.

I was afraid that I would dislike her for a while, but she actually grew on me pretty quickly. She quickly realizes that there are more people impacted by her actions than just herself and decides to suck it up and deal. Unfortunately for her, she has to deal with Jude, who is not at all her type. Marissa is attracted to the pretty boys. She likes the pretty, thin, graceful, rather effeminate men who dress well and look nice on her arm. Jude is large, and muscular, and not pretty at all. She has to learn to see past all her preconceptions and learn where the true value of a person lies and the difference between lust and love.

The author made a bold choice starting the book out where she did. I really appreciated getting to see a character make a genuine mistake and have to deal with the consequences. Marissa was vain and way too caught up in appearances, but she was still a nice person. She slowly learned to value Jude for his true self. Her lust was much more easily engaged than her heart. Speaking of lust; I am so pleased to actually see a female character lusting after men. She didn't let her hormones rule her, but she appreciated a pretty man and a nice show of leg. She knew there was pleasure to be had, and she wanted to embrace it. It was nice to see a female finding many men attractive and not only being blind to it all until the hero came along.

Jude was such an excellent hero. He was self confident, and he knew who he was. He was also an excellent judge of character. He had Marissa pegged shortly after meeting her. He didn't want to change her though; he wanted to revel in her enjoyment of pleasure and please them both. He was extremely hard to insult. Most of the time he just shrugged off irritating comments thrown his way, but when a comment from Marissa found its mark, it had impeccable aim. I loved watching Jude discover more about himself, but I was so sorry for him too. It's hard caring about someone who's quick to lash out because she won't admit, or doesn't recognize, her true feelings.

Their relationship was a lot of fun to watch develop. They actually seemed like they became quite good friends. I value that quite highly in my romances. This book had some pretty hot moments. Jude had quite a way with foreplay, and he could sure draw out the tension between them.

I liked getting to see Marissa's friends and family. I wonder if this will turn into a loosely connected series like her other historicals did. I see potential between her friend and another character after that awkward moment toward the end. I'd also really like to learn more about Aidan and see him overcome his crankiness. I hope we get to see more about them!

A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl
Historical Romance -Aug. 3, 2010
4 1/2 stars

Marissa York let curiosity and a little too much wine go to her head, and she disgraced herself with a fashionable young man in her family's sewing room. Now she has to marry! But Marissa has refused the offer of the young man who `helped' her get into this catastrophe. (Unfortunately, his fumbling about was so disappointing she did not want a repeat performance!) So her brother is determined to find her a replacement.

Fortunately, her brother's good friend, Jude Bertrand, (the bastard son of a Duke), steps into the breech and offers to `save' her. For years, Jude has recognized Marissa's adventurous nature but he felt her youth forbade his pursuit. But now that she's older and in a fix Jude feels this is just the time to play the hero.

I really enjoyed this book, because it explored the question of a young woman's burgeoning sensuality in a historical context when sensuality was hardly acknowledged. She has these feelings that she can't discuss with anyone, but they won't go away. Though the story is largely about sensuality, it isn't erotica, and descriptions of sex are not the point of the story. The book does a nice job of capturing that confused time in young adulthood when many conflicting ideas scramble for a toehold in a person's consciousness: looks versus character, words versus action, family versus society. Both characters are interesting and have real depth. I immediately liked them and became invested in their growing realtionship.

This was a charming and absorbing read that I highly recommend!

Reviewed by Adrienne from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

I love this authors writing style and her publisher's font (font can ruin the reading experience)! This is a historical romance that is bases around the York family. Marissa has been experimenting with men and gets caught. Her family attempt through the book to save her reputation and she become fake-engaged to Jude Bertrand. Jude has always like Marissa's spirit from a far and when the opportunity to become her fiancé he jumps at it. This book was excellent - I smiled the whole time I was reading it.

Here are few more great book by this author; Talk Me Down, To Tempt A Scotsman (Zebra Debut),The Wicked West and Crazy for Love (Hqn).

Looking forward to Midnight Kiss: Midnight Confessions\Midnight Surrender\Midnight Assignment Due out-Oct 26, 2010 This author's 1stcontemporary novella in a special Harlequin New Years' anthology called Midnight Kiss. Her story is "Midnight Assignment."

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